Building Your Visual Speakers Library

Now, it's time to begin building your "visual speakers library." Today I am recommending six books. And I'll add to this list as time goes on.

This post is also a blatant pitch. If you don't already own these six books, you should. These vintage books are "must owns" for any public speaker, trainer, or teacher who really wants to be a top-notch visual communicator.

And, if you are going to invest in these masterpieces, you may as well get them right here at this convenient link.



1. I'm OK, You're OK by Thomas Harris' is a twenty-million, plus best seller. The whole Transactional Analysis (TA) movement was and is driven by the ultra simple graphics in this book.

2. The One-Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson is known as a "parable book" and is not known for the visual aids it uses.

But, apart from the visual effect of their great story, there is a classic visual at the back of the book. I think it should have been in the front of the book. And it should have been simplified.

3. Competitive Advantage. Harvard Business School professor, Micheal Porter is a world-class user of visual aids in his speaking and writing.

His Five Competitive Forces diagram is the theme model is the feature graphic of not one but three bestselling books and report. (Competitive Strategy and Harvard Business Presses' special report, The Five Competitive Forces.)

4. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People you Stephen Covey and his co-authors, is literally, an extraordinary visual speakers Manuel. Forget its' self-improvement content (not really :) and just use it to help you create visual aids for your own presentations.

Almost ever chapter uses the concept I preach so much, the use of a theme model, beginning with one key graphic then "backing it up" with a few well crafted visuals.

5. The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge is much like 7 Habits, jamb packed with all sorts of dramatic and very effective visual aids. Use this book as a resource as you design your messages and the graphics that you use selling your message.

6. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki is another masterpiece. Coupled with his second book, Cashflow Quadrant you have two of the best communicating visual aids ever designed. Kiyosakis' seminar career has been propelled to the highest level by the simple illustrations in these two books.

So there you have it, , , my Top Six visuallly driven books in the field of business and behavior. I urge you to begin building a library of these kinds of books.

They are far more valuable than books on graphic design and "how to use visual aids." These great books (and there are more I'll write about in the future) represent the actual transfer of their culture-changing message in world-class proportions.